Some mornings, before the city awakens with its hustle and bustle, I look out over the buildings and enjoy the peace and silence. But one morning I realized, amid this serenity, that there were cries going up to heaven that only God could hear—cries for rescue from wickedness that only God sees. God hears the child abused by a drunken parent. God hears the victims of violence in the streets. God hears the one abandoned by an unfaithful spouse. God hears the addict trapped in a destructive cycle. God even hears the plotting of those evil men and women who seek to sow destruction into our communities.
"One of the greatest gifts you can give the world is your prayers."
And if these cries are coming out of one city, what about the cries from hundreds and thousands of cities across our country? God's justice demands that judgment should come upon the wicked. How does He hold back His hand in the midst of these cries? In that moment I perceived God mercifully saying, "Give them one more chance. Give them one more day to hear the Gospel message and turn and receive forgiveness from My hand."
It pains me to say that the tragedy in many American cities today is that they have heard the Gospel message for years and rejected it. They have heard the Gospel message and ignored it. They have heard the Gospel message and twisted it to suit their purposes. And the judgment of God is on its way.
So, what are we as God's people to do?
THE CALL OF GOD
Ezekiel was living in a time very similar to ours. His was a time of wickedness when God's people were busy with their own lives and steadily departing from the Truth. It was a time when there was religion without righteousness. Into this moment, God spoke through His prophet Ezekiel, "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one" (Ezekiel 22:30, NKJV).
Today, God's call has not changed. He is looking for the person who will care enough about their lost neighbors to intercede on their behalf. He is looking for the person who will sacrifice their comfort and convenience to stand in the gap. He is looking for the person who will intercede on behalf of desperate people.
THE CHALLENGE TO RESPOND
Brothers and sisters in Christ, will you answer this call? Will you intercede daily on behalf of your family, your community, and the nation? One of the greatest gifts you can give the world is your prayers. In fact, I believe that if we, the "family priests," would get up early in the morning and start praying for our children daily, we would have the greatest revival our generation has ever seen.
There are so many politicians running around talking about change. They want to bring it, but it never comes. Why? Because the ultimate change is not going to come from the government. The change we need in this country will only come through the changed hearts of men and women who have turned to Jesus Christ.
It is time for God's people to get on their knees and align their will with the will of God. When Moses aligned his will with God's, God brought water out of the rock. When David aligned his will with God's, Goliath fell. When Elijah aligned his will with God's, fire came from heaven. When Paul and Silas aligned their wills with God's, the earth shook and the prison doors opened. These are the things that happen when we align our will with the will of God and intercede on behalf of people everywhere.
Will you respond to the call of God? Will you stand in the gap? Let the cry of our hearts be, "Here I am, send me! I will intercede for my neighborhood. I will intercede for my family. I will intercede for my nation." May the Holy Spirit empower us all to say 'yes' to this weighty call.
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